Abstract
Nathaniel Hawthorne(1804-1864) is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the history of American literature. The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s masterpiece of psychological romance, is a milestone in American literature history with its rich imagination, peculiar writing style and thought-provoking insight. It is The Scarlet Letter that permanently established his literary position.
In this novel, Hawthorne’s skill as a symbolist is fully in evidence. There is hardly concrete object in The Scarlet Letter that does not do double duty as a symbol. His characters, the letter “A” and settings are all symbols.
Thus in this paper, how the author makes an excellent command of symbolism, especially the character of Pearl, who is also called the living scarlet letter, will be demonstrated in detail. After the analysis, a living, breathing scarlet letter will be drawn to the conclusion by the readers.
Keywords Hawthorne ;The Scarlet Letter; Symbolism;Pearl
Contents
Abstract I
Contents I
1.Introduction 1
2. Definition and Function of Symbolism 2
2.1 What is symbolism 2
2.2 The function of symbolism in the literature 2
3. Analyse symbolic significance of the character——Pearl 3
3.1 As the emblem of adultery 3
3.2 As the rescuer of Hester 4
3.3 As the passionate and natural love 5
3.4 As connection between Dimmesdale and Hester 6
4.Conclusion 8
References 9
